Dons looking forward to reunion with Hibs

Three-and-a-half years have passed since the last league meeting between Aberdeen and Hibs but Dons manager Derek McInnes believes Saturday’s showdown will be worth the wait.

The Reds travel to Easter Road to take on Neil Lennon’s side, who drew 2-2 with league leaders Celtic on their last outing.

The teams have not met in the top flight since a Niall McGinn double earned McInnes’s men a 2-0 victory in Edinburgh on April 7 2014.

The sides served up an afternoon of high drama at Hampden last season when the Dons won 3-2 to earn a Scottish Cup final place.

McInnes, whose Dons are level on points at the top of the table with leaders Celtic, is not surprised by the high demand for tickets for this weekend’s encounter.

Aberdeen have already sold out their initial allocation of 1,900 tickets and have received an extra 400 briefs for the game.

The manager said: “Hibernian coming back into the league is something we were all looking forward to.

“We haven’t been there for a while and the supporters see that as one of the better venues to go to. The fact we have sold so many tickets suggests that.

“It will be a good game, I have no doubts about that.

“Having watched their game against Celtic, they will go into the match with confidence.

“Neil has got them fired up. They have aspirations to do well this season, as we have.

“It has got the makings and ingredients of a top-class game.”

Defender Andrew Considine could feature for the Dons, despite breaking his wrist in last month’s 1-0 win against Motherwell but Greg Tansey (groin) will not be risked.

McInnes said: “Greg Tansey is motoring along fine.

“He will miss out on Saturday but he won’t be too far away.

“Andy has been training. We have been mindful of the contact side of it with the nature of his injury.

“We will assess him through the week before making a call if he can play on Saturday.”